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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · press · clip · chair · ground · deal · trunk · wake

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. clip — for paper
  4. press — newspapers
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. clip — a video
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — a publisher
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — a position
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — happy
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wake — a trail
  23. clip — to cut
  24. trunk — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com